Dear You
by Thayne M
Summary: What do you do when your secret love is leaving, possibly forever? You write him a letter, and hope that he stays. CainDG. R&R, please!


**TITLE**:_"Dear You"_  
**SHOW**:_"Tin Man"_  
**PAIRING**:_CainDG_  
**RATING**:_PG-13_  
**SUMMARY**:_What do you do when your secret love is leaving, possibly forever? You write him a letter, and hope that he stays. R&R, please!_  
**INSPIRATION**:_This was inspired by the song I wrote, called "Dear You." I found it a few days ago, and I wrote it when I was maybe thirteen or fourteen, so its kinda corny, but it did give me an idea for this little fic, so that's gotta count for something. Lyrics at the end!  
_**DISCLAIMER**:_Nah, ya see, if _I_ owned "Tin Man," there would have been a mondo sex-on-the-castle-floor scene at the very end.  
_**NOTE**:_Please read the A/N at the end of the story for continuation details._

**---**

_Dear Mr. Cain,_

_Its been a long journey for us, hasn't it? Between finding you in that awful tin suit, to you becoming my guide, to protector, to friend, things haven't exactly been calm for us. I'm sure that, at some point--maybe more than once--we've both felt some sort of sublime hatred for one another, but it never interfered with that which was most important. I'm sure that you didn't always want to be at my side--me, the annoyingly stubborn, cry-baby, amnesiac-striken princess--but you were. You never turned away from me. You never betrayed me. You never let me down._

_And now you're leaving._

_I'm not telling you all of this to make you feel bad, or to guilt you into staying. I just need you to know how I feel before you're gone. Even though you promised it wouldn't be, this _could_ very well be my last chance with you. I have to make it count. If it doesn't all come out right, I'm sorry, but just try to understand, and I'll try to make it as quick and clear as I possibly can._

_You saved me so many times. You protected me when you didn't have to; I could never thank you enough. I want you to know that right now. I'd also like you to know that, somewhere amidst all of the danger and the chaos, you caught a part of me. Whether it was your crystalline blue eyes, or your gentle strength, or your willingness to risk your life for a girl you barely knew, I'm not sure, but whatever it was, it caught me. Now, I can't look at you without selfishly hoping you'll stay by my side forever. I want you here with me. I want you to stay. I want _you.

_I was on my way to figuring out if I could love you--if you could ever want to love me--and if you leave, I'll never get to know. But you are leaving, so I guess we'll never know._

_So, that's my little confession; take it for what its worth. I wish you love, and luck, and happiness._

_DG_

Cain hadn't found the letter--hidden in the inner-pocket of his dark gray duster--until the first night he stopped to rest after leaving the castle. Now, it all made sense to him--DG's sad demeanor and eyes filled with rejection; she thought he'd already read it and just decided to ignore it. He felt like such a fool to leave without actually asking her what the problem was; he'd just assumed she was angry with him for leaving her, as she had every right to be. He didn't want to leave--to be away from her--but he thought it to be the best solution to a problem he thought was completely one-sided. It was now clear to him that it wasn't one-sided at all. He wasn't just some perverted old man, desiring this younger woman, feeling sexual tension roll off of her in waves, making him want her more than anything. All the time, she'd wanted him back, and he never saw it.

Maybe he didn't want to see it. Maybe a part of him felt he didn't deserve that sort of happiness again.

But he saw it now. He deserved it now.

He shook off his fatigue from riding all day and mounted his horse again. He turned toward the now-setting suns and rode back in the direction of the castle at the Northern Island. It took him a whole of six hours to reach the bridge that connected the mainland and the island, and he stopped there for a moment, assessing his options. It was late. If he rode in now, demanding to see the princess, he'd either be shot or heavily berated by the girl's mother and father. On the other hand, if he didn't see DG now--if he allowed her to go any longer thinking all her feelings were unrequited--he would never be able to forgive himself. The former seemed less torturous than the latter, and he pressed on.

Luckily, the same guard that had been on duty at his departure was on the evening shift and recognized him, allowing him to enter the palace without contestation. That was a relief, as Cain could now make his way to the princess without ever waking the queen or her consort. He walked slowly, carefully, up the stairs, making certain that his shoes never made so much as a _click_ against the hard marble floors, which proved to be a difficult task indeed. It took him what seemed like annuals to make it to the second floor, where he found the third door on the left and slipped inside quietly.

DG was lying awake in bed, her eyes fasted to the ceiling, with only the gentle rise and fall of her chest to serve as proof for the life in her. When she heard her door clasp shut, her head turned slightly and she fixed her impossibly blue eyes on Cain, her face expressionless, her lips never moving to make a single word. He, too, figured that there were no words to remedy this situation, and even if there were, he wouldn't use them. The pounding in his chest that seemed to thump against his throat made it hard enough to breathe. So, without a word, he took the fedora from atop his head and placed it on the chair by the door, soon followed by his coat, then his holster, then his vest. He walked over to the bed and sat down on it, staring back into DG's eyes with the same intense curiosity she put out, and he toed his boots off. He took a deep breath and sighed, searching her face for a clue as to what step came next. To his satisfaction, she pulled back her covers and he took the hint, sliding underneath and moving to hold her against him, their two bodies seperated only by a dress shirt and a thin pajama tank-top. This knowledge alone sent a subtle shiver through Cain, but it was enough for DG to feel, and her eyes lit up as a small grin snuck across her face. Her fingers traced down his chest and slowly began to undo the buttons of his shirt, and soon she was slipping it over his shoulders. She looked up and the strength of desire in his eyes almost made her gasp. She regained her composure and finished removing his shirt, then she scooted down a bit and buried her head into the warmth of his chest, the soft blonde curls there tickling her chin.

Cain had to press his lips together tightly to keep himself from letting out the low groan that had built in his chest, and he brought one hand up to stroke her hair, trailing his fingers along the back of her head, stimulating every nerve there. He was aware of a faint sniffle, and he brought his hand down to her chin, making her look up at him; there were tears in her eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but she shook her head and he stopped; she smiled at him, and he realized that this was her relief. She thought he'd rejected her, but here he was, holding her, accepting her, _wanting_ her back. She put one hand on his face, tracing his jawline with her index finger, and then she leaned forward to catch his lips with her own. This shocked Cain a little; he'd never had a woman kiss _him_ before. With Adora, he'd always initialized everything, and it wasn't until the very moment DG's lips touched his that he realized how much he liked not having to always be the one who decided that was right and what was wrong; what was appropriate and what should just be left alone. So he kissed back, his arms moving to encircle her waist, pulling her ever-closer, kissing her like she was the only source of oxygen left in the world and he was suffocating.

**---**

**A/N**

**I know that its really short, but I like it. I think its cute.**

**Since I'm such a virgin and all, I can't seem to bring myself to write the dirtier stuff (my face turned beet-red just writing the "shirt removal" bit; honestly, my nose almost started to bleed), and that's why this fic cut short. But I left it so that, should someone with writing talent come along and decide it needs a continuation, they could ask for my permission and I could tell them how awesome it would be if they continued it. -twiddles thumbs- Just keep that in mind, peoples!**

**And now, it is time for Thayne's crappy pre-teen lyrics!**

**"Dear You"**

_**dear you  
today i sat down to write you a letter  
dear you  
i've got a feeling that it could've gone better  
dear you  
i couldn't think of anything to say  
dear you  
ain't life just kinda funny that way?**_

_**you're the inspiration when the lights eclipse  
a subtle shadow when its all remiss  
a helping hand when it hurts too much  
a steady shoulder when i need a crutch  
you're the timelessness when the time runs out  
the imagination that is so renowned  
the insanity that keeps me sane  
and i can't come up with a clever thing to say**_

_**dear you  
i put you on a pedestal  
dear you  
you make everything so bearable  
dear you  
i just can't seem to let it out  
dear you  
ain't that what you're all about?**_

_**you're the inspiration when the lights eclipse  
a subtle shadow when its all remiss  
a helping hand when it hurts too much  
a steady shoulder when i need a crutch  
you're the timelessness when the time runs out  
the imagination that is so renowned  
the insanity that keeps me sane  
and i can't come up with a clever thing to say**_

_**dear you  
you're what they write these cheesy love songs about  
dear you  
you're everything i want and everything i'd go without  
dear you  
you give me all the good and teach me all the bad  
dear you  
and that's the only thing i ever really had  
dear you  
you make me strong again; don't ever go away  
dear you  
you keep me safe and strong when everyone else fades  
dear you  
you are the structure than brings madness to the mind  
dear you  
and i'd give anything to keep you in my life**_

_**'cause you're the inspiration when the lights eclipse  
a subtle shadow when its all remiss  
a helping hand when it hurts too much  
a steady shoulder when i need a crutch  
you're the timelessness when the time runs out  
the imagination that is so renowned  
the insanity that keeps me sane  
and i can't come up with a clever thing to say**_

_**dear you  
this is what its all about  
not knowing what to say  
dear you  
because you taught me that its best  
to show it every day**_


End file.
